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By: Sirad Shirdon Picture this. You are a busy mother trying to keep an eye on your young children, while trying to get dinner ready. What to do? The truth is some would turn the TV on, in hopes of occupying the kids for a short while. In many Somali households here in Ohio, the…

Sirad Shirdon In the past few weeks, as media coverage has been dominated by refugees and migrants arriving in Europe, my thoughts returned to Somali refugee youth I met back in December 2012. In my work with a local elementary school in Nairobi, Kenya I was requested to give a motivational talk to the mostly…

Sirad Shirdon Talk to a Somali-American anywhere in the US. Chances are high that they know of a child and/or children who are on the Autism Spectrum. Many Somali mothers have been impacted by a diagnosis, which is unfamiliar to many in the community, and have struggled in accessing resources, in large part due to…

Naima Shirdon I’ve often heard from teachers and parents alike about the many characterizations of Somali children – that they are ‘rowdy’ or ‘loud.’ While others may state this is simply part and parcel of being a kid, it’s important to note that there is a time and a place for everything. For example, a…

Sirad Shirdon In September, my two nieces began school at a local Montessori school, a far cry from their previous school: a charter school in Columbus with questionable educational quality. The charter school she attended, like many in North Columbus, has a large Somali student population. In recent years, Somali parents in the US…

Children’s books on Ramadhan and the holidays of Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha Here are a list of children’s books, which address Ramadhan (Islamic month of fasting), and Islam’s two holidays of Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha. All of these books are available through Amazon and/or Ebay, and may be available…

Sirad Shirdon A few weeks ago, on the eve of the Muslim holiday Eid ul Adha, a kindergarten teacher inquired into the availability of related reading material. “Are there books about Eid?” she asked. Ms. M, the teacher, had prepared a book on Islam, to share with the students. “Of course, there are!” I exclaimed. Without…